Chapter Text
Tim
It was just a name. But names are more than just names ; it was an identity.
Not all part of an identity, but part of it.
The kid learned this year ago, not sure when though.
Janet Drake taught this lesson to her child at a young age, as every parent did. It wasn’t a rule, it was just a fact. With it came a no say rule : never told to someone your name.
Why because names had power, it meant something, and some creature in this world could use this powers. Yet, sometimes, exemption existed, some names wasn’t part of the identity of a person.
It was the case for Janet’s kid, nobody knew it of course.
Nine years before a change, Jake and Janet drake welcomed to the world what they thought was their daughter. And so they gave « her » a name. One that the child will learn to own, to protect.
This kid grew up, learned to be what their parents wanted them to be, what the society expected.
A quiet, kind, not trouble maker kid . Indeed, they got a kid who was good at school, followed each rules, following their expectation, who would never bother them. Yet every kid are curious, you couldn't change that.
People would said that curiosity killed the cat, for this kid it offered a new perception of their life.
Drake’s manor was close to the forest, forbidden for every person in the village, more to the children. Even if the Drake’s kid listen to their parents when they were here , the fact is they weren’t often here. A child could do anything without being notice.
And what could stroked the curiosity more than a forbidden place ?
The inevitable happened, by impulsivity one day, the « perfect daughter » went to the forest.
It was middle day, the forest was calm, full of life, beautiful for a so young kid. Butterfly, frog, fish in a pond, bird on a tree, even a deer.All those creature live, far from the civilisation. Plants grown as they would, they were no order just life.
Why such place could be forbidden ? Nothing seem dangerous.
However time passed, and the day let its place to the night.
While the moon rose, the forest became darker, hiding thing, the sound of animals became warning, the step of them became dangers,
The Branch looked as claws, trying to catches anything that would come to close to it, there were no path on the ground, no way out, no more birds’ melody only silence.
Night hide thing, good and bad. You never know what could be inside the shadow.
Thought, you could said the kid had been lucky this night.
In the dark night , lost, scared, on their nerve, the little kid heard a sound. Footstep. Frightened by whom the step it was, the Drake’s kid stopped moving. Covering their mouth, trying to look around to see anything. But nothing gave them a hint. After a moment of silence, when nothing happened, thinking it was gone, the child began to walk again to find their way. Before being stop by a hand on his shoulder. Surprised and scared, they cried, and walked away from the hand. Now standing in front of the thing.
The young kid didn’t see the light earlier but now facing it they saw the person to whom the hand was. A boy, maybe soon an adult, there were something that said he.. it wasn’t human. Even if in the night it was hard to tell.
But the light showed his face, dark hair, dark enough to be mistaken with the forest’s darkness, a , maybe, tan skin. It was hard to tell in the shadow of the trees. The two thing that said it wasn’t a human was its eyes and its smile, highlight by the torch. The first was two blues orbs, the colour of the sea under a summer sun, analysing the youngest, like a puzzle, an insect, bright in the light ; sparkling with mischief, lively, to sharpen.
The second was a predator’s smile, in front of a prey, playing with his food. Sharp, big, bright.
It wasn’t human at all.
The voice too, a soft tone which hide something, like off, wrong, ending as a sort of melody of a bird song.
-Hello there, you shouldn’t be here ? He leaned over the kid’s head. It could be dangerous.
Emphasizing the last word.
The youngest stay silence, he felt goosebump allover their skin, they couldn’t move a fingers.
-Do you need help, little one ? Ask them, leaning further and further.
Scared the child stay quiet.
-Well, maybe give me your name could help you, right ? His gaze sparkling like candles, his smile sharpening
There were a lot of word to describe the drake’s kid : good behaviour, kind, shy, quiet, now curious. But nothing about naivety.
In this situation, though, they were scared, cold, lost, just wanted their home. Nothing more.
They knew what Janet taught them. But couldn’t a kid be just a kid ? Being lost ? Even in their own mind.
In a whisper the perfect kid break one of the most important “rules” of the world:
-Jane
A moment of silence pass. Even the other was surprised by their voice.
-Jane. It was like the other tasted the name. Than in a cold tone. It is not yours.
Lost, frightened and confused ,the kid step back then replied that it was their. It was the name their parents gave them.
The stranger studied the kid, as if it asked itself what to do with them. Suddenly the smile came back, bigger, fiercer.
-Why won’t I just help you back home, hum ?
Without waiting, the creature headed off in the opposite direction to the one the young child had initially taken (or so they thought). This sudden shift in personality caught the little one off guard, they stood staring for a good ten seconds at the empty spot where the other had been. Before finding himself plunged into total darkness, forcing him to run after the other to avoid losing sight of the light. Risky, yes, but better than being as lost as he was before.
When they arrived to the edge of the forest, the child took their courage to asked to the other:
-Why were you so sure that my names wasn’t my name ? In a whisper that could have been carried away by the breeze.
The creature watched them for a moment before answering:
-Names are an identity. The Drake frowned, he knew that.
-My mother told me so.
-But also has powers. You should have learn that too. Insisted the other.
- My mother also taught me to not tell my name to stranger. Looking away, playing with their fingers, they knew they dd something bad.
-Yet .. you did. Highlighting the kid’s error. But indeed, some creature can use this power to harm small children. And it is only because the names is attached to an identity.
-What does that means? They looked for the second time in the other’s eyes, speaking louder than before. You’re not even human, why would you help me ? You’re one of those creature who use names against people so why didn’t you used my name or looked so.. weird when I told you mine ?
-Because you think it is your name. But sometime, something inside people know that the name does not show the real identity of a person. And it is the first time I meet someone like you.
-I don’t understand. Confessed the young kid.
-Not now, but I’m sure you will soon.
The kid looked away for a second, when he looked back there were nothing at his left. No sign of the other. Trying to looked around to see where it could go but there were nothing left. Like if it just vanished.
Trying to not though to much about this weird night, the kid walked back to his house. Still, they were curious and couldn’t stop to think about all this.
Especially that thing? Creature ? And their discussion.
“Names has power thanks to the identity it’s attached to” but not their ?
What does a curious kid in front of a puzzle ? They seek for an answer. Lucky Drake’s library was huge.
Unlucky, the child found nothing after one day of researched . At least nothing about name, power or identity, but a hint about the stranger.
There were different type of creature you could find in the forest, normal or mythic. In the mythic only one, in this regions, could match the description of the strangers. The fae.
These are beings from another world that often take on a humanoid form. Several categories exist, but most possess powers of varying strength. Traces of them appear in various countries and regions; while the accounts differ, they share one or more common traits; such as sparkling eyes or teeth that are sharper than normal. They cannot tell lies or harm people unless they hold power over their victim (though this specific condition varies by category); most of their abilities derive from the victim's identity, a power granted to them once they obtain a part of that identity, usually the name.
Some are more dangerous than others; indeed, the majority of fae view humans as inferior. Many rumours suggest that fae are the ones who most frequently kidnap children or even, on rare occasions, adults.
Even if the young kid find an answer it wasn’t the one they truly wanted. Disappointed and annoyed, they took a random book and started to read it.
It was Christmas Carol, not the good period but they liked the start of the book and so they continued to read. It was magic. The possibility to travel in their own past, or their own future, having the possibility to live again some moment.
They never believe in Christmas, having most of the time no parents during this period play a lot. Maybe one day they will meet the Spirit of Christmas. Will the Spirit show them a better Christmas? Did they ever have a joyful Christmas during their childhood?
Strangely, the child felt something in their stomach, a sensation of warm ? Like if it felt right to just read a name : Tiny Tim.
Tim.
An unlucky little boy, poor, yet loved by his family; surrounded by people, cherished. The opposite of him: alone yet wealthy, healthy yet disregarded, living in the cold just like him, but not for the same reason. Two different person.
Tim
Timothy.
It felt so right, right in a weird way. How could a name sound right ?
They said it out-loud, none was here to heard.
The strange feeling was stronger, warmer.
He couldn’t focus on something less, just the name repeating itself in their mind.
Tim
So they put away the book, to think about something else. If it’s weird, it must be bad.
A shower could help.
So the kid made their way to their bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, they just looked. The name came back.
Tim
They touched their face.
“you think it is your name. But sometime, something inside people know that the name does not show the real identity of a person.”
Tim
They looked at their hair, black not the same to the fae but close.
An image of its hair came in their mind, ruffle, short. Same colour, but not same length. A ball of envy grew in the kid’s stomach. They never question what their parents taught him, how to dress, how to have their hair, how to at. But what if ?
Tim
There were scissor on the chest of drawers. What if ?
“something inside people know that the name does not show the real identity of a person.”
Tim
Just like that, by impulsivity without thinking about any consequence, they took the pair of scissor and cut their hair. Short, not quite proper but better.
Their parents would hate this decision . But they weren’t there.
At this time, the kid looked at themselves, and the same warm feeling appeared in their stomach, replacing the envy.
The perfect daughter looked like a young boy
A young boy
boy
Tim
Timothy
Timothy drake
A boy.
It was messy, not perfect, disappointing. But.. Yet he liked it.
Tim
Something felt right, not because his parents told him, but because inside him it was right. Nine years after Janet gave birth to a child, there were no perfect daughter. But there were a lost kid, a lonely kid who for the first time in his existence was happy.
There were Tim.